This Sunday we end our current liturgical year with the celebration of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This is a relatively new celebration in the Church, as it was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 amidst that tumultuous time that saw the rise of communism and socialism.    The pope wanted the world to realize whom we all should bow to first. Properly understood, serving Christ first leads us to serve our brothers and sisters around us regardless of race, color, or nationality. With all the sovereign powers around the world it is Jesus Christ from whom their authority comes from. The horrors of the 20th Century bear testimony to the world of what it looks like when this is forgotten.

This coming Monday is November 11th, Veterans Day. Every Veterans Day we remember those men and women who have served our country in the military. We are thankful for all of our veterans, and I am personally thankful to all of our VOL parishioners who have served. Did you know Veterans Day has a Catholic origin? November 11th is the Feast of St. Martin of Tours. St. Martin of Tours is the famous 4th Century Roman Officer turned Catholic bishop. His conversion story is noteworthy. As we are told, one day he came across a poor man while he was on his horse. Filled with compassion for him, yet having nothing to give him, he tore his cloak in two and gave one half to him. That same night he dreamt the same scene, but instead of the poor man he saw that the face of Christ. This led to him leaving the service of the Roman government and entering the service of God, eventually becoming bishop of Tours in France.

The Feast of All Souls was celebrated this weekend. It is an important day for us all. It is personal, as we gather to pray for our dear loved ones who have passed. We are also doing our duty as Christians, as praying for the dead is a spiritual work of mercy. At every Mass there is an explicit moment when the dead are prayed for, and that is during the Eucharistic Prayer. Every Eucharistic Prayer prays for the dead. This is very appropriate because at every Mass the entire Church is present, that is both the visible and invisible Church. The deceased souls in Purgatory are present, even though we cannot see them with our eyes. I’ll use the first Eucharistic Prayer, often referred to as the Roman Canon, as an example to help illustrate this. I tend to use this one often for Sunday masses. Also, the Roman Canon is the oldest Eucharistic Prayer in the Latin Church, and one of the oldest in the entire Catholic Church.